About the Author

S. Swaminathan, was born in Pudukottai, Tamilnadu in

1940. After professionally qualifying in Mechanical
Engineering, he worked in Indian Institute of Technology Delhi for more than 30 years and retired as Professor of
Mechanical Engineering,.
As a serious teacher he has attempted a number of
experiments in teaching, like no-classroom teaching and
holistic approach to engineering disciplines. In his view the thrust of the
science and technology establishment should be towards helping the poorest
of the poor. His research and development activities were primarily in this
direction. He is also a social activist and participates in socially relevant
projects. He worked in Centre for Rural Development in IIT Madras, Bharath
Gyan Vigyan Samithy, Delhi as the National Coordinator for watershed
development and Integrated Rural Technology Centre, Palakkad, Kerala.
Holding to his belief that technology must be human-centred and that
there exists a cultural route to development, he even taught a course titled Art
and Technology at Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi along with a
colleague of his.
Realising that Indian youth have an inadequate understanding of our
heritage, and consequently lack a sense of identity, Prof Swaminathan decided
to acquaint the students of IIT Delhi with various aspects of our culture. Not
being an expert in the field, he found, may sometimes be an advantage, as
audience are not put off by jargon, and interact with the speaker in an
uninhibited manner. The topics included Indian music, Sanskrit, ancient Tamil
literature, Tamil prosody, development of scripts, Gandhian philosophy, etc.
He has made a very detailed study of Ajanta paintings. His lectures on
Ajanta are especially popular. He has also prepared a folio on Ajanta Paintings
containing some 300 leaves that can be used as exhibition panels also. IIT
Delhi has published a CD-ROM making use of his expertise.
He possesses a huge collection of articles, pictures, political cartoons
etc. on a host of topics. Collected over 35 years, these are arranged in a
number of albums. His Email Id is sswami@gmail.com.
28

27

Annexure IV
Lalitankura Elevation and Plan view

Lalitankura Pallava Griham

A neglected Pallava treasure on the
Tiruchirappalli Rockfort

There are two iconographic compositions which owe considerably to

the Pallava-s: the Somaskanda and the Gangadhara. Perhaps the former
is a special Pallava conception. Both these have captivated artists
through the ages.
The earliest, (or is it one among the earliest?), is Mahendra Pallavas
Gangadhara in the cave temple in the Rockfort complex at
Tiruchirappalli. The popular shrines of Tayumanavar and of the Uchchip-pillaiyar are much fancied by the devout and only an occasional artbuff enters the precincts of the cave temple that houses this Siva
composition. Then there are pilgrims who rest their tired limbs on their
way back from the strenuous climb atop, and the noisy hangers on who
crowd every place of religious or cultural fame. The cave temple
deserves better.
It is not the cave temple alone that deserves better. There are at least two
more ancient sites that should have been in the itinerary of the public.
One is an ancient site, older to the Pallava cave by about 500 years. It is
a cavern, a holy resort of Jain ascetics, To attest this, we have stonebeds where the holy men practised severe austerities and a number of
inscriptions, the earliest being in Late Tamil Brahmi of the 3rd century
AD. Unfortunately this is lost, again due to our negligence. Three
inscriptions in Early Vattezhuttu have been found and these are dated to
the 5th century AD. All these mention the name of the patrons of the
Jaina ascetics.

26

At a lower level is another cave temple. This was excavated by the

Pandya-s perhaps a century later to the Pallava one above. A family
lives in the precincts, unhelpful enough to drive away straying visitors. I
suggest that the Trichy-wallahs pay a visit to this temple also, as this is
believed to have been designed following the Hindu Shanmatha
doctrine of Adi Sankara. (I wish some God-person attributes some
divine powers to the gods hiding in these caves. Perhaps this is the only
way today to make people honour these divinities!)

Importance of the Temple

First let me state in brief why the Pallava cave temple is important.
Firstly, it is one among the earliest cave temples of the Tamil country. It
is believed that the Pallava-s introduced excavating hard rock in the
south. May be the Pandya-s were doing this around the same time. At
least Mahendra Pallavan boasts so in his Mandagappattu cave shrine.
The Tiruchy cave is the southern most cave of the Pallava-s. How come
he came all the way to Tiruchy to excavate a cave temple in an
inaccessible hill, we dont know. Was it under his rule at that time, I am
not clear. But here we have one which is important in the art and
religious history of India. We must try to imagine how this hill would
have looked with out the Tayumanavar Koil, Uchichi-p-pillaiyar Koil
and all the sundry shrines, and then we may wonder hiw Mahendra
chose the site at a height of 200 feet and how his artisan managed the
excavation. Like the other Pallava monuments this cave temple also
holds some puzzles.

The Temple

Stanza 8

4.

ilaakshareNa-janita-satyasandhasyaa-bhautikee

Stone-inscription-out-of created-has-been satyasandhas bodily
8
:

(8)

Moorthih keertimayeechaasya-kRtaa-tenaiva-aavatee
8
Image fame-full-of and his made-has-been it(stone)-by eternal
This bodily image [of Satyasandha (God/king)] was created out of the
stone inscription [silaksharena] of Satyasandha [the poet-king]. By the
same imperishable character, an embodiment of His/his fame was
made imperishable.

Note on Transliteration:
Into Tamil: I have followed the traditional method of using
subscripts for hard consonants. Thus we have , 2 3 and 4 for
, , and respectively. For I have used ( underlined)

The cave temple, a typical early Pallava style, is dedicated to Siva.

Mahendra calls the shrine Lalitankura-pallavesvara-griham. Lalitankura
is one among the many titles of Mahendra, and it means charmingscion. This name is found on the girder connecting the two inner pillars
of the cave temple. The sculptural content includes two Pallava dvarapala-s guarding the now-empty garbha-griham and the famous
Gangadhara panel in bold relief. This panel is an exquisite composition.
4

and for I have used ( in the subscript), both in the initial

and medial positions. Thus and stand for and
respectively.
Into Roman: I have generally followed the Kyoto-Harvard method for
easy readability. I have also deviated in certain respects, which would
be self evident. I have not given any diacritical mark for .
25

-
guNabhara-named king-this-by image-by image-having-become-embodied-in
faith
6
2

(6)

prathataachiraayaloke-vipakshavRtteh paraavRtam .6.

6
Renowned-be for-long the world enemy circle-from brought-back
As the king called Gunabhara has become embodied in this image
[lingini=Kaveridhara/Gangadhara], let the Faith, which has been
brought back from the encircling opposition, be forever spread by this
same image [lingena] throughout the world!

Stanza 7

That the cave contains some important inscriptions is another special

feature. Some of them are the routine listing of the innumerable titles
(biruda-s) of Mahendra Pallava, a decease that infects our rulers of the
past and the present. There are 80 of them engraved in this shrine,
mostly on the pillars. (Mahendra can boast of almost 130 titles! His
great-grand son, Rajasimha, had even more, about 250!) But a poem
consisting of eight couplets, most likely composed by the king himself,
not only describes the Gangadhra panel that it encloses, but also
presents a puzzle, an example of dhvani normally met with in Sanskrit
poetry, here for the first time in a sculpture, to be handled again by his
son in the Great Penance panel in Mahabalipuram.

Chola province-of mountain diadem like-this great jewel like-his
7
3

Inscriptions

Pallava Grantha script

choLvishayasya-ailo-maulirivaayam-mahamaNirivaasya

It is a pity that all of us miss it. I shall be discussing about it in greater

detail alter.

: (7)

haragRhametajjotistadeeyamiva aamkaram-jyotih .7.

7
Hara-abode this (his Chola province) splendour hi (crest jewels) like
Sankaras splendour

I may take this opportunity to mention some thing about the script in
which the inscriptions are written. The language of the couplets is
Sanskrit, and they are written in the script called Grantha, or more
appropriately, Pallava Grantha, giving credit to the inventors. It is a
script used in the Tamil country to write Sanskrit. It was so till the last
generation. It is also the one from which developed the script for
Malayalam, and, hold your breadth, script for most all the languages of
the East: Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Thai, Laos, Khmer, Combodia,
Vietnam etc. This happened through the political and cultural conquest
of the East by the Indian rulers, starting with the Pallava-s.

This mountain is like the diadem of his [Mahendra's] Chola province,

this abode of Hara his (diadem's) chief jewel, and the splendor of
Sankara [Gangadhara] is, as it were, his [Mahendra's/Kaveridhara's
crest-jewel's] splendor.

24

General description of the Temple

To start with I will give a general

description of the cave temple. When
you cross the gate that takes you to
the Uchchi-p-pillaiyar temple, you
find on the left the cave temple,
called by a mouthful name,
Lalitangura Pallavesvar Griham.
What you see is a cave supported by
four pillars with two half pillars
(technically called pilasters) on each end. (Figure on the left) The faade
looks rather simple. The pillars are plain, square in cross section at the
bottom and top, but eight-sided in the middle. This is typical of early
Pallava-s. The pillars become more and more sophisticated, and to some
extant the design of the pillars gives clue to the chronology of the caves
themselves. There are circular low-reliefs on all the four sides of the
pillars. They are beautiful geometrical shapes, worth a close look. The
brackets above the pillars are again plain. Titles of King Mahendra are
inscribed on the faces of these pillars, mostly in Pallava Grantha and a
few in the Tamil script.

Devoveekshya nadipriyah priyaguNaamapyesha raajyediti

Beyond the pillars is a mandapa (hall), and in the rear the hall is a series
of four pillars very similar to the ones in the front. The medallions on
the faces of these pillars are again worth a few minutes. To your right,
that is, on the eastern wall of the cave, is the garbha-griham (sanctum).

Garbha-griham
Many of the features of the garbha-griham proclaim its Pallava origin.
First let us look at the dvaral-pala-s (gate-keepers) that guard the shrine.
One on each side, they are carved in bold-relief. They are similar in
certain respects. Both are in semi-profile, two-armed turned towards the
shrine-entrance, standing with one leg bent and raised up and the other
planted firmly on the ground, carry a massive club, their palms resting
on it, etc. When you find time you may look at the sacred-thread they
6

3 :

3.

the-God on-seeing river-lover pleasing qualities-possessor also this desiring
thus.

saaamkaagirikanyakaapitRkulamhitvehamanyegirau

with-suspicion mountain-daughter of-fathers-family having-left-here I-guess
mountain-on

3 (5)

nityantishThati pallavasya dayitametambruvaaNaanadeem.5.

5
forever stations (Herself) Pallavas wife this calling river
Suspecting that the God [Siva], who is fond of rivers, on seeing the
Kaveri, whose waters please the eye, who wears a garland of
gardens, and who possesses attractive qualities, might fall in love with
her also, the 'Daughter of the Mountain' [Ganga] has left her father's
family to reside, I reckon, permanently here on this mountain, calling
this river [Kaveri] the beloved wife of the Pallava (king).

Stanza 6

34

3 .

guNabhara-naamani-raajanyanena-lingena-lingini-jaanam

23

are wearing, their dress and ornaments.

These would reflect the contemporary
fashion.

aileem harasya tanumapratimaamanena.

stone Haras body incomparable him-by.

2 :

kRtvaa ivam irasi dhaarataatma samsthamuchchaih

made-having Siva head-on holder-by-heart firmly-fixed-in lofty

Gangadhara Relief Sculpture

The garbha-griham is almost a cube of

about 9-foot each side. There are two pits,
one, we can guess, is for the lingam to be
installed. But what about the other? Was
lingam the object of worship in the Pallava
cave temples is the question that is being
debated by pundits. I shall also be touching
upon this later.

(4)

irastvamachalasya kRtam kRtaartham. 4 .

4
mindedness mountains made-was reality.
By first raising Siva, the God within (his) heart, to his head, an incomparable
stone figure of Hara [Siva] was then, with pleasure, raised to the top of the
mountain by this Purushottama [Mahendra]. And by thus himself first bearing,
and then by making the mountain bear, God immanent, on top, the
'Exaltedness' of the 'Immovable One' [acalasya] was made a concrete reality
by him.

The inscription continues on the southern pilaster:

Stanza 5

4 4

Kaaveereen-nayanaabhiraama-salilaamamaalaadharaam
-
Kaveri eye-pleasing water-possessor garden-garland-bearer

22

Now let us look at the

western wall, the
main object of our
nd
study. Here is the
1st
2
Four
Four
celebrated
slokas
slokas
Gangadhara
panel.
on this
on this
pilaster
pilaster
This is a large
composition. In the
center is Siva as
Gangadhara
with
attendant figures on
the sides and top.
Let us start with the hero. The four-armed Siva is standing with His left
leg planted firmly planted on the ground. His right foot is raised and is
held up by the head and an arm of a crouching Siva-gaNa below. Sivas
upper right arm holds a strand of His tresses into which Ganga is
descending. Ganga is shown in the human form, a small female figure
with both the hands in the namaste posture.
The lower right hand of Siva holds the tail of a serpent with its hood
raised up. His upper left holds an akshara-maala and the lower one rests
7

on His hip. These are conventional postures. Now let us look at the
make up. His sacred-thread is vastra-yajnopaveeta, namely, made of
cloth. The ornaments can be listed: coiled valaya-s around the wrists,
elaborate keyoora-s above His elbows, makara-kunDala-s on both ears,
large enough to rest on His shoulders, a broad necklace, an udarabandha round His belly.
Sivas head-dress is an elaborate jaTaa-makuTa, a rather unusual one. It
is decorated on the front and held in position by a coronet. Rest of the
jaTaa is coiled on the top. On the top right side is the characteristic
moon and at the bottom, but on the left side is a skull.
Behind the head is the siraschakra.
Let us look at the dress. His veshTi, reaching up to both the ankles with
the central fan-like pleat of the kachcha hanging between legs, is worn
the way it is done even today, a example of continuity in tradition. But
the artists have done this excellently, every fold, clear and crisp. Round
His waist He wears a kaTi-bandha. Another uttareeya hangs loose in a
loop in front and has tassels on either side. Isnt this a remarkable
composition?
Now let us follow the other actors in this scene. I have mentioned the
gaNa whose head and palm are supporting the right leg of the Lord. The
crouching gaNa, identified with Kumbhodara, holds a serpent on his
right hand. On the other side, corresponding to the descending Ganga is
found an animal, not easily distinguishable. Because of the prominent
hump it could be a bull. Is it taking the place of vRshabha-dhvaja?
On either side on the top are two flying vidya-dhara-s. Below, kneeling
on either side of Siva, are two identical figures. All these four figures
are attired very similar to the Lord, with the lower pair being somewhat
less ornamented. Their one arm raised in adoration and the other on the
hip. Who could these people, in the royal dress in Sivas camp? They
look out of place in the Shambo-ki-baraat! We shall come back to this
later. Behind the two kneeling figures are two identical rishis, identified
8

wealth Chozhas-of how I see-well which abundant

3 4

2 .

nadeem vaa kaaveereemavanibhavanaavasthita iti.

river and Kaveri earth abode-remaining thus.

: 3

hareNoktah preetya vibhuradiadabhramlihamidam

Hara-by-asked-having-been affection-with the-king ordered cloud licking this
[]
3

[ ]34

34:

(3)

Manuprakhye [raajye]-giribhavanmasmai-guNabharah. 3.
[] 3
Manu-famous [country-in] mountain-abode Him-for Gunabhara.
Having affectionately been asked by Hara [Siva], 'How can I, while
remaining in an earthly abode, see the abundant wealth of the Cholas
and the river Kaveri?', this Supreme Ruler, Gunabhara, the fame of
whose empire rivals that of Manu, ordered for Him [Siva] this skyscraper ['cloud-licking'] mountain-abode.

Stanza 4

nirmaapitaamiti mudaa prishottamena

made-was thus pleasure-with Purushottama-by
21

by their huge jaTa-s and bearded face. Their inner hands too are raised
in veneration.

- 1
fixed himself-also together Him-with world-in become-has

When King Gunabhara [Mahendra] established a stone figure [the relief image
of Siva-Gangadhara] in the wonderful stone abode on top of the King of
Mountains [the Rock-Fort Hill], this ruler, (entitled) 'Vidhi' [the Creator], made
Sthanu [Siva] true to His name ['sthau': stationary / firmly fixed] and became
himself sthanu [fixed, immortal] together with Him, on earth.

Stanza 2

-

-3

3-

33

gRhamakRta-atrumallo-gireendra-kanyaa-paterggiraavasmim
- -
abode-made atrumalla mountain-king daughter-of husbands mountain-on
this

2
3

-3-

2-

2: (2)

Now let us take a few steps backwards so that we can get a full picture
of the panel in order to appreciate the beauty of the composition. This
bas-relief is an outstanding composition. It is also the earliest
composition in the Tamil country. That the artist could achieve aesthetic
excellence on their very first attempt is astounding. This must have
inspired his illustrious son, Narasimha Varma, to attempt the worlds
first open-air bas-relief in Mahabalipuram. I may mention that
Mamallas unique contributions to the world of art are two: the
monoliths and open-air reliefs. The former had inspired quite a few,
including the incomparable Kailasanatha Temple in Ellora, but none
attempted the open-air reliefs there after!
The whole composition is an illustration of total balance. It exudes the
Pallava grace, every square inch of it. Every character is perfectly
modelled. There is no overcrowding, no dramatisation. It is beauty in
simplicity. Worthy of contemplation, so savour the scene as best as you
can. I dont want to say any thing more, it would speak for itself.
(Proverb)

Giriasya-giria-sajaamanvartthee-kartumartthaapatih.
2
girias mountain-dweller name meaningful to-make wealth-lord (2).

The lord of wealth, Satrumalla [Mahendra], made on this mountain an abode

for the husband [Siva] of the 'Daughter of the King of Mountains' [Ganga], so
that the meaning of His [Siva's] title 'Girisa' (i.e., 'Mountain Dweller') would be
made literally manifest.

Stanza 3

-2

vibhootimchoLaanaam-kathamahamaveksheya-vipulaam
20

On either side of the panel are two half-pillars (pilasters, if you are too
technical) on which is written 8 couplets, four on each side, in Sanskrit
in the Pallava Grantha script. I have mentioned before this inscription is
important. It is important for variety of reasons. First it is a great poetry
composed by the king himself. We may keep in mind that Mahendra
Pallava was an all-rounder. His political achievements are legendary.
He also initiated excavating cave temples in hard rock in the south. He
wrote two satirical plays, Mattavilasam and Bhagavatajjukam. He was
also a great painter/artist: chitra-k-kaara-p-puli is one of his titles (selfgiven!).
The inscription caught the attention of the early epigraphists and the
meaning of the epigraph is debated even now. The first to translate was
E Hultzsch in 1890 and his reading is more or less followed even today
9

by most epigraphists. May his tribe increase! We should salute these

pioneers. But I am going to follow the interpretation of Miachael
Lockwood and his multi-disciplinary team from madras Christian
College. This is because their interpretation appeals to me. (You may
wish to follow Hultzsch if you desire. After all we live in a democracy.)
I propose to give a gist of the inscription first and then point out the
differences with the interpretation of Hultzsch. To help you to follow
the inscription at the site I am including the inscription, its
transliteration and translation as an appendix.
The first sloka states that King Mahendra established a stone figure of
Siva in the cave temple of on the top of this hill in his own image, and
became immortal, like the God, on the earth.
The second stanza explains why Mahendra chose a hill. He says that he
chose the hill to justify Sivas name as Girisa (mountain-dweller).
The third verse purports to explain the circumstances and the manner of
choice of this hill. Mahendra says that when proposed an earthly abode,
the God wondered how he can remain on the earth without seeing the
fertile country of the Chozhas and the river Kaveri. Then the king chose
the spot atop this Tiruchy hill facing the river.
The fourth describes how the temple became a reality. Here there is an
identification of God and the king. Later you may read the verse as well
as the translation given in the annexure to appreciate the import.
The literary composition continues on the right pilaster. In this fifth one
the king is mischievous. Ganga, the daughter of Himavan, now fearing
that the Lord may become infatuated with the river Kaveri, let Her
mountain-dwelling to reside here along with the Lord. Here Lockwood
et al differ from the popular conception. Hultzsch read this stanza as
Parvati feeling worried came to reside with Her husband. I will talk
about this a little later.
The sixth verse says that he (Mahendra) himself has become embodied
in the image of Gangadhara. The whole poetry is supposed to be full of
10

Annexure III
Lalitankura Pallava-griham, Rockfort, Tiruchirappali
Transliteration and translation of
Mahendra Pallavas inscriptional poem
on the pilasters on either side of Gangadhara panel
The stanzas are transliterated into Devanagari, Tamil and Roman script;
they are also translated word for word and for each stanza
On the northern pilaster
Stanza 1

3-

4--4-

ailendra-moordhani-ilaa-bhavane-vichitre

Mountain-king top-of-on stone abode-in wonderful-in

34-

- -4

ailin-tanum-guNabharo-n-nRpatir-n-nidhaaya
-
Stone-body Gunabhara king established-having

2

- 4 -4-2 2-

sthaaNum-vyadatta-vidhiresha-yathaarthaa-samjaam

sthaaNu made creator-this meaning-true-to name
1
2

:-

---3 -: (1)

sthaaNuh-svayacha-saha-tena-jagatsu-jaatah. (1)

19

double-meaning, more than one meaning. Sanskrit literature is famous

for this, called Dhvani. I will explain what this means slightly later.
The next verse says that the mountain was the crest-jewel of
Mahendras Chozha province, this abode of Siva its chief jewel.

5
3

(5)

34

3 .

I have included the poem along with its translation in the annexure.

(6)

Dhvani in Sculpture

: (7)

4.

(8)

...
4
18

344

This last one is important. It says that through this stone-Siva, a

physical embodiment of Satyasandha (a title of Mahendra) was created,
and through this form, his fame was made eternal. By the way the
traditional understanding, that is, of Hultzsch and his followers, differs
from this.

: ...

I mentioned before that the poem and the sculpture are examples of
dhvani, an essential ingredient of Sanskrit poetry. Also mentioned was
that Mahendra was a great literary figure. His being a sakala-kalavallavan resulted in the dhvani being used in sculpture. And it is the
first time in history. His son contributes another first in his magnum
opus, in the Great Penance composition in Mahabalipuram, that is dvisamdhaana-kaavya (double-entendre poem, that is, a two-in-one poem).
At least some think so.
What is dhavani? Poetry may possess two levels of meaning: direct
meaning and a suggested meaning. This suggested meaning that appeals
to an aesthete is really the soul of poetry. This feature is called dhvani.
Thus the 8-stanza poem has both direct and suggested meanings. So the
sculpture too.
The poem directly refers to Siva as Gangadhara. The suggested meaning
could be Mahendra. Now let us look at closely. You may recall that
Mahendra specifically says that the Lord is made in his image. (What a
vain-glory!) So in the suggested meaning we may start with the hero
being the Pallava king himself. But what about the other characters in
the scene. Normally one finds a few divine characters, like Brahma,
11

Vishnu, Narada etc. In addition there would also be a few rishis and a
few bhoota-gaNa-s in attendance. In fact, the darbar of Siva has earned
the sobriquet Shambu-ki-barat (Shambus-friends-and-relatives-in-Hiswedding-entourage) because of its motley composition! We have a
gaNa, four princely characters who can be taken for some divinities
though unidentified and two rishis in the background. We have an
animal we couldnt decide whether it is a bull or a dog above Sivas
upper left hand. A rishabha can be taken as appropriate, but if it is a
dog, what is a doing in this place? By the way dog is found in the
Gangadhara panel in another Pallava creation, the Kailasanatha Temple
in Kanchipuram, and again in the Kailasanatha Temple in Ellora, a
Rashtrakuta miracle. Various theories float around, and it looks these
are not convincing even to the floaters.
We shall then listen to Lockwood on the suggested meaning. The panel
is a celebration of Mahendra also. In the centre stands the Emperor
majestically. The four princely figures are the feudatories of the
Pallava-s. Two of the dynasties are represented here. The western
Ganga, identified by the namaste-ing Ganga seen on the left and the
Kadamba-s identified by the dog on the right. But how do you connect
the Kadamba-s with dog? It happened this way. Lockwood, while going
through old journals on Indian history, found that the Kadamba-s used
dog-emblem in their copper-plate grants! While there is no doubt that
Mahendra Pallava was very creative, we now must accept that
Lockwood is also very imaginative!
Let me now point out the contributing factors to this double meaning.
The most important are the extraordinary and numerous titles of
Mahendra. I mentioned that he assumed more than 130 titles for
himself. Many of them are also the names of Lord Siva. The king
skillfully weaves these names into his poem to effect this double
entendre. GuNabhara (I and VI slokas), Purushottama (IV sloka) and
Satya-sandhaa (VIII sloka). Further he has skillfully employed words
which could be understood in more than one way. For example, the
mountain itself may mean the Himalayas or our own Tiruchy rock, it
may be Parvati or Ganga by daughter of mountain (gireendra-kanya)
12

34:

(3)

2 :

4
2

(4)

. and continues on the southern pilaster

4

4 3

3 :

3.

3
3

17

etc. To add to the poetic alankaram words have been used adroitly. For
example, sthanu is used in two meanings, one to refer to the God
himself and the other to mean fixed, immortal, that this, the king has
this become immortal.

Annexure II
Lalitankura Pallava-griham, Rockfort, Tiruchirappali
Facsimile of Mahendra Pallavas inscriptional poem
on the pilasters on either side of the Gangadhara panel

The Pallava-s, as a dynasty, seemed to enjoy teasing. Many of the

Pallava monuments are puzzles. Some look to be intentionally made by
the Pallava-s themselves. There are so many, particularly connected
with the monuments in Mahabalipuram. Here the puzzle is: Where is
situated the God mentioned in the poem?

The inscription begins on the northern pilaster:

44

34

Lockwoods new interpretation

4 42 2

1
2

3 : (1)

33

. 3

2: (2)

3 4

2 . : 3

[]

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Now let us look at two different solutions to the puzzle. As for as this
Gangadhara panel Hultzsch translated the word nidhaaya as placed.
He also took gireendra-kanya to mean Parvati. So he, and the
subsequent people, looked for an anthropomorphic (sorry for art-ese, it
simply means human-like) idol of Siva and Parvati, naturally, in the
garbha-griham. To add to the confusion, there are two pits in the
garbha-griham. OK, one for Siva and the other, His consort. That fits
in. But what does not fit in is that Parvati image was not generally
installed in the sanctum. (Also, it is generally not a lingam that is
installed in the early Pallava sanctums. It could be a Somaskanda in
panel on its rear wall.) Hultzsch and the others did not consider that the
poem could refer to the Gangadhara panel, around which the poem is
engraved. This is in spite of the fact that the poem explicitly states that
the builder has made the God in his image. Another error of judgment
on the part of Hultazsch was, according to Lockwood, understanding the
expression daughter of mountain as Parvati. Lastly, Hultzsch misread
(again according to Lockwood) another word. The word was
silaakshara in the 8th stanza. Hultzsch thought it is scribal error and
corrected it editorially as silaakhara, and translated as stone-chisel.
But the word is bold and clear. Why did he do that? He simply felt that
this fits in with his interpretation.

[ ]34

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Now our recent Poirot (all of you know this chap, the detective in the
Agatha Christi novels) cleared all these. Firstly, Lockwood translates
the word nidhaaya to mean established. Then he is of the view that by
daughter of the mountain the author refers to Ganga, and not Parvati.
Then was Ganga a daughter of Himavan? For this he points out that in
Ramayana, where the story of Bhagiratha is narrated Ganga is
mentioned as the eldest daughter of the King of Himalayas. Lastly,
Lockwood considers that there was no scribal error in silaakshareNa,
and this means imperishable stone, and then this meaning also fits in.
And there can be a few more interpretation. You may attempt. But, then
you will have to visit the shrine. Then my purpose is fulfilled.

Annexure I
Inscriptional Poems

You may ask me why I go into such a depth. If the matter is so

important to result in a number of research papers in reputed journals,
and if this is about one of our own monuments, shouldnt we be aware
of it? May be we can also look at it our own way and come up with
more innovative theories.

Annexures
I have given the following as annexures.
The first is a facsimile of the inscriptional poem from the two halfpillars with transliteration into Roman, Devanagari and Tamil script.
You can take this with you to the caves and attempt to follow the poem
line by line.
The second is the poem translated, first word by word and then for each
couplet. This could be used conveniently in your drawing room.
This gives you also a feel of Pallava Grantha, calligraphically rendered
in this monument.
I hope this attempt kindles interest in our priceless monuments strewn
around the whole country, fast disappearing uncared for.

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